Canadian-American soprano Othalie Graham is widely known for her interpretations of the title roles in “Turandot” and “Aida,” as well as her commitment to Wagnerian repertoire. She has been described as a “thrilling” singing actress and has performed with such prestigious companies as the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Málaga, Detriot Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Chorus at the Kennedy Center, {…}
(Credit: Bonnie Perkinson) Never mind one week—how about one day? Listeners looking for a one-day immersion in Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” are in for a treat when Los Angeles Opera streams all four music dramas on Saturday, July 25 beginning at 8 a.m. PDT/11 a.m. EDT. The webcast will be available at LAOpera.org/LAOatHome. The stream continues musical offerings the {…}
In late May, the COVID-19 pandemic relented for a spell, enticing parts of the United States to reopen after weeks of lockdown. Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer in the States, was in full swing. 2020 had a disastrous start, but big cities like New York had the virus somewhat contained. Worldwide, the insidious threat of sickness and {…}
On July 17, the Northern Lights Music Festival will open its socially distanced production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” It will mark the first U.S staged opera production since the March lockdown due to COVID-19. The festival has lined up an all-star cast, which will include acclaimed star soprano Leah Crocetto in the title role. For Crocetto, the new production will mark {…}
Bass Morris Robinson is one of the most sought after performers in opera. He has slowly built up his repertoire performing at many leading houses including the Metropolitan Opera, where he has been singing for 18 years in smaller and leading roles. This summer, Robinson, a graduate from the Met Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, was scheduled to sing at {…}
On July 17, the Northern Lights Music Festival will open its socially distanced production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” It will mark the first U.S staged opera production since the March lockdown due to COVID-19. The festival has lined up an all-star cast, which will include acclaimed baritone Daniel Sutin, who will take on the role of Scarpia. Sutin, who is well {…}
Kevin Short is one of today’s most versatile bass-baritones performing at some of the world’s greatest theaters and taking on leading roles in a wide variety of repertoire from Verdi to Gershwin to Stravinsky. In the summer, he was scheduled to perform the title role in Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith’s world premiere opera “Castor and Patience” at the {…}
“I am Khumn!” These were the first words ever spoken on stage by baritone Michael Hewitt. The phrase is one you might expect from the Narrator in “Akhnaten” but not in a fifth-grade educational history play about ancient Egypt. According to Hewitt, his entrance was dramatic and well-received. He recounted striding to center stage, dressed from head-to-toe in black and shrouded in dense fog. {…}
On July 9, the Caramoor Festival will present a Livestream event entitled “Listening to Tom-Tom.” The event will be an in-depth exploration of Shirley Graham Du Bois’ opera, “Tom-Tom,” the first opera written and staged by an African American woman. The work has not been produced since its initial run in 1932 and all that survives of the score is {…}
Since the members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra were furloughed, the orchestra has launched a fundraising initiative in order to channel its energy into education and engagement through teaching and performing. The fundraising campaign was created in order for the orchestra to be able to do outreach programs and to create new events and concerts during these times of COVID-19. {…}
(Photo: Riccardo Scrocca) The coronavirus has had a huge impact on theaters and live performances, and opera has certainly not been immune from its consequences. With the theatres closed, singers, directors and musicians, set and costume designers and conductors, to name but a few, have all seen their work come to an abrupt halt. For the stars, this may be {…}
